A railway station that will serve a major regeneration scheme in Brent Cross has been given the go-ahead by councillors.

The new Thameslink station will connect the Brent Cross redevelopment to St Pancras in the south and to Luton and St Albans north of London.

It is due to be built by 2022 and will be served by eight trains per hour at peak times.

The approval marks a step forward for Barnet Council’s flagship Brent Cross regeneration plan, which is designed to provide 7,500 new homes and more than 20,000 new jobs.

Feasibility studies show the station could also link up to the West London Orbital route – a proposed rail link running between Hendon and Hounslow.

The Thameslink station, which had already received outline planning consent, had its detailed designs approved at a meeting of the planning committee on May 13.

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Early provision of the station – which is being funded by government grants and the council’s capital budget – is designed to act as a spur to the delivery of the wider Brent Cross scheme.

During the planning committee, Gill Close, chairman of the Dollis Hill Residents’ Association, asked the council to address safety concerns over a pedestrian walkway running close to the station site.

She claimed the walkway was “isolated”, leaving people using it vulnerable to crime, and told councillors a safe route needed to be put in place before the station opens.

Committee chairman Cllr Shimon Ryde (Conservative, Childs Hill) said the issue of safe access would be addressed outside of the current planning application, which related only to the design of the station.

Peter Alsop, Brent Cross planning and transport manager, said improvements to the area surrounding the station would be considered as part of the wider development scheme.

Cllr Claire Farrier (Labour, East Finchley) told the meeting residents living in nearby Brent Terrace had raised concerns over the noise that would be created during construction of the new station.

In response, Mr Alsop said the developer would be required to follow conditions setting out acceptable noise levels and working hours.

The station plans were unanimously approved by members of the committee.

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